Transmission Line Safety
By: Connor Anderson

Throughout planet earth’s history, one of the most significant innovations from the human race was the introduction of electrical power. Electrical power has changed the lives of every person that has access to it. It can easily be deemed to have had the largest impact on human life, because it single handedly changed our values and our dependencies. This innovations marked the beginning of a new chapter in which electrical power is exploited globally. Although this change is to improve the quality of human life, installing and maintaining power lines poses a high safety hazard to humans working on them. The danger that power lines pose is the extremely high voltage that power lines operate at. It takes about 5,000 volts of electrical energy to kill a person because enough current flows over the heart to stop it from beating. That being said, you can imagine the danger if a neighborhood transmission line holds 12,000 volts of electrical energy. This high energy content makes power line maintenance and construction around the power lines a challenge. Not only can a person come in contact with high voltage transmission lines, but the equipment they use can also conduct electricity and pose the same danger as direct contact. Some examples of equipment that can be dangerous around transmission lines includes; Aluminum paint rollers, Backhoes, Concrete pumpers, Cranes, Long-handled cement fishing floats, Metal building materials, Metal ladders, Raised dump truck beds, and scaffolds. But these are only examples of some materials that can be dangerous around transmission lines. Any metal material that is not surrounded by an insulator such as rubber, can transfer electricity from the lines to you. Metal materials are not the only danger to working around high voltage transmission lines. It is important to scope out your landscape before doing any power line maintenance, especially if maintenance directly to the lines themselves. Pay close attention to trees that are close to the lines, because trees can ground the power lines. If power lines are grounded by trees, this can pose an even greater danger to anyone working around them, as well as cause potential damage to the power station transmitting the power. Transmission lines can also be buried in the ground. Before conducting any digging construction, the land should be properly evaluated for any underground power lines or equipment in the area and their locations. Some good tips to avoid power line hazards include; Pay attention to power line locations and any buried power line indicators, Stay at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines, Always assume that overhead power lines are energized, Ground power lines when working near them or insulate the lines, Use non-conductive materials when working near power lines if possible. An example of an incident from overhead power line safety was issued by the U.S Department of Labor; Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). This incident was issued in September 21st, 2005. This incident had to do with coming in contact with high voltage transmission lines. A fatality occurred when a contract electrician was installing power lines to an elevated electrical box mounted on the side of a building. He was standing on a man lift in order to access it. The electrician swung the man lift away from the work area and came in contact with the transmission lines.
MSHA has posted many tips for downed electrical power line safety which include; * Never go near a downed or fallen electrical power line * Always assume all power lines are energized * If someone is touching a downed power line, do not try to rescue them yourself. You would be putting yourself at risk as well * Stay away from any equipment or materials that come in contact with a power line, they could be energized and contain the same danger as the line itself * Never drive vehicles over downed power lines * Do not panic and remain calm if your vehicle or equipment comes in contact with power lines * Do not touch the energized equipment and the ground at the same time.
One of the most important things to do on a construction site that contains high voltage transmission lines, is to make sure that every person or worker on the construction site has been properly trained to understand overhead power line safety to prevent possible fatalities. These simple safety procedures could have prevented the fatality of the electrician on the man lift in 2005. According to research done on high voltage transmission lines, the electromagnetic field that is given off can cause health concerns. According to an article posted by Dimensional Design Products Inc. in 2013, they compiled information from hundreds of studies to determine if electromagnetic field production from high voltage transmission lines can cause health concerns to people living near them. This article has many examples of studies done that show that high voltage transmission lines can increase your chance of getting cancer. Researchers from the University of Tasmania and Britian’s Bristol University found that living near high-voltage power can increase risks for conditions later in life. These included: * Living within 328 yards of a transmission line to age 5, were 5x more likely to develop cancer as an adult. * Living within 328 yards of a transmission line at any point before age 15, were 3x more likely to develop cancer as an adult.
Another article by the California Department of Health concluded that electromagnetic fields were responsible for an increase in leukemia in children and adult brain cancer in a 2002 report, “An Evaluation of the Possible Risks From Electric and Magnetic Fields From Power Lines, Internal Wiring, Electrical Occupations and Appliances.”
These reports link high voltage power lines with: * Brain tumors * Leukemia * Birth defects * Lymphoma
Research and publications by the World Health Organization found that electromagnetic fields from power lines can also cause: * Headaches * Fatigue * Anxiety * Insomnia * Rashes * Muscle pain
(Article from Dimensional Design Products Inc.)
(http://www.safespaceprotection.com/electrostress-from-power-lines.aspx)

Many research has shown that the electromagnetic fields given off by high voltage transmission lines can be linked with many health hazards especially cancer. Although most of the research done shows no significant heath changes, or cannot completely correlate the power lines EMF to a person getting cancer, there is undeniably the simple fact that because the electromagnetic field is there and it disrupts our health at all, proves that even though it may not be significant, transmission lines that are close by will affect your health. Transmission line safety is a simple concept yet very complicated. All of the information is readily available for anyone who would need to do construction near them or perform maintenance, yet there are fatalities and injuries from transmission lines that happen in various types of jobs. Most injuries are due to ignorance of how to properly protect yourself from live wires especially around metal equipment. It is important to ask an employer or to educate yourself beforehand of the proper personal protective equipment available for the specific job, and to be educated about the precautionary measures available when working on or around high voltage transmission lines.

References:

EMF Pollution from Living Near Power Lines http://www.safespaceprotection.com/electrostress-from-power-lines.aspx MSHA’s Accident Prevention Program Miner’s Tip: Downed Power Line http://www.msha.gov/Accident_Prevention/Tips/downedpowerline.htm#.VUQCSvlViaF MSHA’s APP: Miner’s Tip: Overhead Powerline Safety http://www.msha.gov/Accident_Prevention/Tips/powerlinesafety.asp ComEd: Be Aware of the Powerlines Where You Live and Work https://www.comed.com/customer-service/safety/Pages/powerline-safety.aspx OSHA: Contact With Power Lines
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/construction/electrical_incidents/powerlines.html